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Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

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Anti-war activists in Congress flex limited procedural muscles

Congress has attempted to terminate the U.S. military involvement in Iran by passing a concurrent resolution, but the president has opposed it and the...

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The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

How expansive is the Constitution's 'speech or debate' clause?

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) appealed to the First Amendment to block the "censure" levied against him by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and U.S....

05.03.2026 2

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Members’ video raises issues of sedition and free speech

Six members of Congress, all Democrats and former military or intelligence veterans, posted a video urging active military personnel to not obey...

26.02.2026 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Groundhog Day: How House members and senators exploit procedure to get their way

The House and Senate have been at odds over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security, with the House passing a resolution to terminate the...

19.02.2026 1

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress struggles for ICE breaker compromise

Congress passed a compromise deal to fund five of the six remaining appropriations bills for the rest of the fiscal year, and put the sixth on...

05.02.2026 3

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress is taking stock of proposed ethics rules

Congress is considering a bipartisan bill to ban stock trading by members, their spouses and dependent children, and to divest all current stock...

22.01.2026 1

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Is a declaration of not-war in Venezuela a stretch?  

The U.S. invasion of Venezuela was justified by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a law enforcement operation to arrest President Nicolas Maduro and...

15.01.2026 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Are House discharge petitions effective?

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has launched a petition drive to extend the ObamaCare subsidies that expired on Jan. 1, and after...

08.01.2026 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Trump pressures high court on pending tariff ruling

The President has appealed to the Supreme Court to uphold his authority to set tariff rates, while Congress has been happy to delegate tariff...

18.12.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Was the government shutdown a case of fiscal insanity? 

After a record-breaking 43-day government shutdown, Congress and the president must find a way to prevent future shutdowns, such as providing an...

20.11.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Are the drug boat bombings covered by the War Powers Resolution?

Congress has shown "benign ambivalence" towards President Trump's bombing of alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean, with questions being raised...

13.11.2025 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Live updates: Senate to vote a 10th time to end government shutdown

The Senate will vote for the 10th time on a spending bill to reopen the government as the shutdown stretches into its third week. The measure is...

16.10.2025 5

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Watch: Johnson speaks to reporters as Senate votes on defense bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held his daily press conference amid the government shutdown, now into its third week. Senate GOP leaders have...

16.10.2025 4

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

As the world turns, news repeats itself but is never boring

After returning from a two-week tour in Europe, the author reflects on the importance of taking a break from the news and immersing oneself in...

16.10.2025 5

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Live updates: Trump to patrol DC streets; NY appeals court tosses his civil fraud fine

President Trump said he would patrol the streets of the District of Columbia on Thursday night, amid his administration's efforts to crack down on...

21.08.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Senate judicial confirmation delays spark President Trump's ire

The recent flare-up between President Trump and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) conjures the image of two elderly...

21.08.2025 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Attorney General will likely defy obscure information disclosure law on Epstein files 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and seven Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have invoked a 1928 law to demand...

07.08.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Epstein case highlights Congress's attention tactics

In the House of Representatives, many members compete for attention to make the news, but those who succeed in attracting the spotlight often face...

31.07.2025 8

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Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Epstein controversy sets capitol dome spinning 

The Justice Department's evidence on Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking case has sparked a scandal, with both Democrats and Republicans vying for full...

24.07.2025 9

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Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Military parades are as American as apple strudel 

On June 14, President Trump will host a military parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which will include...

05.06.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Remembering Gerry Connolly: Can one member make a difference in Congress?

Congress is in a state of decline due to its failure to respond to the administration's encroachments, but Gerry Connolly's legacy reminds us that...

29.05.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Can we prevent the possibility of a cover up about the president’s health? 

The alleged cover-up of President Joe Biden's declining mental capacity has been exposed in the book "Original Sin" by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson....

22.05.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress's dilemma: Budget goals versus political reality

Congress is struggling to reconcile budget goals with reality, as the paradox of budget reconciliation highlights the difficulty of achieving fiscal...

15.05.2025 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Are House resolutions of inquiry obsolete? 

House Republicans adopted a special rule to freeze resolutions of inquiry, preventing the House from gaining information on the Signalgate scandal, in...

08.05.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Is America returning to isolationism? 

President Donald Trump's neo-isolationist policies differ from the ideals of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who advocated for peaceful...

01.05.2025 7

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Has the magic asterisk returned as budgetary gimmick? 

Congress has passed a budget resolution that includes extending expiring tax cuts for middle- and upper-income taxpayers, border security funding, and...

17.04.2025 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Is the 1798 Alien Enemies Act still relevant today? 

The Trump administration deported of 137 Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Judge James E. Boasberg ordered flights not to...

27.03.2025 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Can Congress dig itself out of its three holes?

Congress faces a lot of challenges, with low job approval ratings, a doubling of the deficit, and the president's unitary executive theory threatening...

20.03.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

'Review' time: Congress looks to its own regulatory veto process

Congress has a process called the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that allows it to disapprove proposed federal regulations, and while it has been used...

06.03.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Trump's executive orders tread a perilous path through the courts

President Trump has used executive orders to freeze federal programs and agencies, sparking clashes with courts and raising questions about the...

20.02.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

What will happen to Congress's standing committees? 

The standing committees in the House and Senate are facing challenges as the world becomes more complex, making it harder for Congress to tackle new...

06.02.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

House Speaker to create another select committee on January 6 attack

House Speaker Mike Johnson has formed a select subcommittee to further investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, assaults on the U.S. Capitol, while Rep. Barry...

30.01.2025 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Does the House Intelligence chair’s ouster portend future power moves? 

House Speaker Mike Johnson replaced Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee with Rep. Rick Crawford, citing a desire for "fresh...

23.01.2025 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Opening day of a new Congress signals future troubles 

The opening day of the new Congress was marred by intra-party fratricide, with the Speaker of the House being elected after multiple ballots and a...

09.01.2025 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress finds itself in a familiar place: Seeking to avert a government shutdown

Congress is facing a sudden death deadline at midnight on Friday, with the government set to run out of money unless an omnibus wrap-up bill is...

19.12.2024 7

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor